On 19 November 2024, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered five (5) charges issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed driver Jordan Leedham under Australian Harness Racing Rules (AHRR) 238, 173(1) and 187(2).
Charge 1 was issued under AHRR 238, which stated (at the time of the offending):
A person shall not fail to comply with any order, direction or requirement of the Controlling Body or the Stewards relating to harness racing or to the harness racing industry.
Charge 1 – It was alleged that Mr Leedham failed to notify HRV that he opened a betting account with NEDS on 10 February 2021 and, by failing to do so, Mr Leedham failed to comply with a requirement of the Controlling Body.
Charges 2, 3 and 4 were issued under AHRR 173(1), which states:
A driver shall not bet on a race in which the driver participates.
Charge 2 – It was alleged that Mr Leedham placed four (4) bets on the horse ‘Redbank Rendezvous’ prior to it competing in Race 9 at Bendigo on 17 February 2021, a race in which he participated in as the driver of ‘Redbank Rendezvous’. The four bets comprised of two (2) fixed win bets (one of which was a leg in a multi-bet) and two (2) ‘Pick Your Own Odds’ win bets on ‘Redbank Rendezvous’.
Charge 3 – It was alleged that Mr Leedham placed win and place bets on the horse ‘Union King’ prior to it competing in Race 8 at Echuca on 25 February 2021, a race in which he participated in as the driver of ‘Union King’.
Charge 4 – It was alleged that Mr Leedham placed a ‘Pick Your Own Odds’ win bet on the horse ‘Wow You Can Dance’ prior to it competing in Race 5 at Mildura on 5 March 2021, a race in which he participated in as the driver of ‘Wow You Can Dance’.
Charge 5 was issued under AHRR 187(2), which states:
A person shall not refuse to answer questions or to produce a horse, document, substance or piece of equipment, or give false or misleading evidence or information at an inquiry or investigation.
Charge 5 – It was alleged that Mr Leedham provided false and/or misleading evidence to Stewards during an interview conducted by the Stewards on 6 April 2022.
Mr Leedham pleaded guilty to all charges, before submissions on penalty were heard from Mr Leedham and from Andrew Cusumano on behalf of the HRV Stewards.
Penalty
Charge 1 – $500 fine.
Charge 2 – $750 fine.
Charge 3 – $750 fine.
Charge 4 – $750 fine.
Charge 5 – $500 fine.
VRT Panel: Judge John Bowman (Chairperson) and Robert Abrahams.
The written decisions of the VRT can be found here.
(Please note that VRT Decisions will generally be published within 7-10 days of the date of hearing)